Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper apologized for comments he made after his team’s playoff elimination on Monday that he said required he “explain myself” to his daughters.
“I made an inappropriate analogy about goalies and skirts,” Cooper said on Wednesday. “You know, it’s one of those moments if you could just reach back and grab the words back, I would have.”
At the time, Cooper was taking issue with the two goaltender interference calls made against his team in Game 5 of Tampa’s series with the Florida Panthers. Both calls negated goals for his team. The first goal was initially put on the board but was removed after a coach’s challenge by the Panthers, while the second goal did not initially count and was confirmed as no-goal despite a coach’s challenge by the Lightning.
“Net-front battles aren’t allowed anymore? That’s part of everybody’s game,” Cooper said after the game. “The boxing-out that goes there, it’s like prison rules in the playoffs, but it’s not prison rules for the goalie? The second something happens … we might as well put skirts on them then, if that’s how it’s gonna be. They have to battle through stuff, too.”
On Wednesday, Cooper apologized “to all who I have offended.”
“I have girls that play sports,” Cooper said. “Quite frankly, it was wrong. I had to go explain myself to my girls.
“It’s pained me more than the actually series loss itself.”
The Lightning were eliminated from the playoffs with that Game 5 loss.
